Automobile arm and rod conection



y 1934- E. K; BAKER AUTOMOBILE ARM AND ROD CONNECTION File'd March 31'. 1930 Patented May 2 2, 1 934 I l UNITEl) srAirEs PATENT orrlcs 1,959,563 AUTOMOBILE ARM AND ROD CONNECTION Erle K. Baker, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Baker Axle grliiinpany, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Application March 31, 1930, Serial No. 440,209

' 3 Claims. (01. 287-90) This invention relates to improvements in autothe arm 4 is a stud 7 having a body adapted for mobile arm and rod connection and it consists a tapered fit in said arm and at the bottom of of the matters hereinafter described and more said body is a circular head 8 having a substanparticularly pointed out in the appended claims. tially flat end 9. In said head which is connected 5 The primary object of the invention is to proto the body by a neck 10 is a peripheral ball race vide a simple and efficient structure especially groove 11. p adapted for use in automobiles as a connection On the endof the tie rod or link which may between certain coacting parts thereof such as bebe of either a solid or tubular cross section there tween the knuckle arms and drag links and beis provided a inember 12 preferably made septween other associated parts. arate from said rod and adapted for screw 65 Another object of the invention is to provide a threaded adjustment thereon. The body of this connection of this kind between coacting arm member is split longitudinally at one side and is and rod members wherein a head carried by one there provided with ears 13 to receive bolts 14 of said members is provided with a raceway to whereby after said member has been properly 15 receive anti-friction elements that engage with a positioned on said link or rod it may be securely 70 spherical bearing surface in the other member, fixed thereto. I the head being engaged at a point that approxi- The free end of the body of said member 12 mates the center of said surface to hold the head is formed to provide a hollow boss 15, interiorly and said element in operative position with rethreaded at one end and having an inwardly ex- 2 spect to said bearing surface. tending radial flange 16 at its other end. The 75 free relative oscillation between the associated flat end 9 of the head is formed a hemispherical 0 r 35 one end of an associated tie rod or link. of the ring 19. In the assembly of the structure 6 A further object of the invention is to provide a interiorly threaded end of said boss is adapted connection of this kind which is practical, and to receive and be closed by a plug 17 having a includes (but a relatively few parts that are easily centrally arranged hemispherical seat 1'7 in assembled and are held in a manner permitting its inner end in which is seated a ball 18. In the members without displacement. seat 9 made on a radius greater than that of The above mentioned objects of the invention the ball 18, which normally engages said recess as well as others, together with the many advanat a point in the axial plane of the stud '7. .In the tages thereof will more fully appear as I proceed boss 15 and engaged against the flange 16 is a with my specification. ring 19 having an interior spherical bearing sur- In the drawing: face 20, the center of which is approximated by Fig. 1 is a fragmentaryperspective view of a the center of the ball 18. connection embodying my invention as when em- In the race or groove 11 is located a plurality ployed between the arm of a steering knuckle and of balls 21 that also engage the spherical surface Fig. 2 is avertical sectional view on an enlarged thus far described the stud 7, balls 21 and ring scale through a connection of this kind embody- 19 are first brought together in operative relaing my invention. tion and then inserted into the boss 15 from-its Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modiopen end. The plug 17 with the ball 18 thereon 40 fied form of the invention. is then screwed in place in the boss 15 and is Referring now in detail to that embodiment of then locked in place by a pin 22. the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the In Fig. 3 I have shown a slightly 'modified' accompanying drawing, 1 indicates the front axle form of my invention. In said figure, '7 indicates of an automobile and 2 indicates thev brake drum the stud and15 indicates the hollow boss in k 45 vand coacting parts of a wheel (not shown) assowhich it is located. The head 8 of the stud is I ciated with said axle and operatively connected provided in its flat bottom end with a hemithereto by means of a steering knuckl 3 said spherical recess 9 in which is engaged the hemiknuckleincludes an arm 4 that is operatively conspherical end 1'7 of a stud 1'7 arran d centralnected to the like arm of another associated 1y inthe inner end of a plug 7, Screw threaded A 50 knuckle by a tie rod or link 5 and the left hand in one end of the boss 15.

knuckle includes a thrust arm 6 which is opera- The other end of the boss is turned inwardly tively connected by athrust rod (not shown) with to provide a radial flange or shoulder 16 and the usual steering mechanism as is well known within said boss and engaged against saidshoulin automobiles. der is a ring l9 having an interior spherical sur- 55 Fixed to and depending from the free end of face 20 substantially universally concentric with I mentioned member.

the center of the hemispherical end 1'7 of the stud 1'7, In said head is provided a peripheral groove 11 that is of a cross section complemental to that of the bearing surface so that said groove and surface receive between them anti-friction rollers 21 -the axes of which taper toward the free end of the body of the stud 7 In the assembly of the connection just described the stud '7 and anti-friction rollers 21 together with the ring 19 are first brought together in operative relation and then inserted into the boss 15 from the open bottom end thereof. Thereafter the plug 17 is screwed in place. In this assembly the interior of the boss may be filled with a lubricant. After the plug 1'7 has been adjusted it may be locked against movement by the pin 22.

With the construction made as described, the stud 7 may oscillate in all directions with an anti-friction bearing with respect to the boss.

While in describing the invention, I have referred in detail to the form, arrangement and construction of the parts, the same is to be considered merely as illustrative so that I do not wish to be limited thereto, except as may be specifically set forth'in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:-

1. In combination with a member having a recess therein and a second member having a head disposed in said recess, a ring having ashoul- ,dered engagement with said first mentioned 'member and providing a spherical internal hearfixed with respect to the first member and en-, gaged with said head, the center of said rounded portion approximating, the center of said bearing surface and whereby said means holds said head in operative relation with respect to said bearingsurface in the oscillation of said head in the first 2. In combination with a member having a recess therein defined at one end by an inwardly extending radial flange, an annular member engaged with said flange and providing an internal.

has an annular groove therein, anti-friction ele- .mentsarranged in said groove and engaged with said internal spherical bearing surface, means providing a closure for the other'end of said recess and a device carried by said last mentioned means and having a rounded portion thereof engaged with said head for positively holding said elements in operative relation with respect to said spherical bearing surface, the center of said rounded portion being coincident with that of said surface.

3. A tie rod construction embodying therein a housing member having means at one end thereof providing a substantially hemispherical internal bearing surface, a plug closing the other end of said housing member, a stud member including a head disposed in said housing and provided with an annular groove and a substantially hemispherical recess in that end opposite the stud and arranged off center with respect to-said bearing surface, antifriction elements in said groove and engaging said external bearing surface, a device mounted on said plug and including a rounded portion engaged in said recess in said end of the head and which rounded portion is concentric with respect to said intemai bearing surface and operates asa fulcrum point holding said head in operative relation with respect to said bearing surface in. the oscillation of the head in said housing.

- ERLE K. BAKER. 

